Grade 7 Seek Challenge in Fujian, China

Nov. 13, 2017

Day 3 - Through the Eyes of a Student

"Today, me (in bus 1), visited the cool Tulou. Within our group (6-7 people), we were offered the chance to interview the locals living in the Tulou we visited. They opened our eyes to areas of Chinese culture we did not know about. In particular, the fengshui sparked my interest; the Tulou's design is mostly based on fengshui. Following the Tulou, we headed to ChuXi, a place with a crystal clear lake and we parked for a spot of lunch. The lunch was delicious although that could of been put down to the fact I was starving! Following lunch, we hiked up a tiny mountain, where we spent an hour scavenging for garbages. To end the evening, the group had supper and performed pre-rehearsed skits we had been preparing all day! What a great day!"

"Today, our team (#Team2) rode bicycles all the way to our neighboring village. We first began with a course on the safety rules - a long speech later - we took in the important information and were ready to apply it to our journey! We hopped on our bikes, adjusted our helmets and adjust and were off. The bike ride was a test of endurance and strength, personally I felt I didn't do very well, but the main thing was I tried. To get to our lunch destination we needed to first of all conquer the windy roads and hills. It was a hard ride, but we finally made it to the location. Once reaching our landing spot, we looked onto a Tulou which we later used as reference to create a small clay model. Finally, we had lunch. I (and everyone else) was very hungry and tired by this point. Some may say, #hangry! We ate it all while comparing our riding stories. Following lunch, we headed back down towards the inn where we were staying - a little faster this time, the speed was a little scary! But, man-o-man, was the experience full of a lot of thrills and my enthusiasm always remained at its peak!"

Day 3 - Fujian

Day 2

Grade 7 were up and adam ready to embark on their 3-hour long drive to Fujian (from Xiamen). Eyes set on visiting the incredible 土楼 or tu lou, a giant building built with dirt and mud (mostly), the bus was a buzz with excitement.

The group stopped to help local farmers tea harvest and learn about tea in general. One of the tasks of the morning was for students to collaborate and brainstorm product design of a new "tea package" and different ways to put the tea inside the bag. The creative juices were flowing and all the students had so much fun trying different methods and of course, have a couple of sips of tea along the way!

Finally, the kids jumped on the bus and headed to Tulou where they ate lunch and dinner. They are currently staying in Tulou and word on the street is it is WAY BETTER THAN IT SOUNDS with 21st Century amenities such as A.C., television, WIFI, etc. which the students were not expecting!

The overall sentiment from students was just how good of an opportunity this trip was to learn more about China and the culture of China.

"It feels great to be closer to Mother Nature and become our truest forms. We are having tons and tons of fun!"

Grade 7 Student

Another student said;

"One thing I learned today is that the Tulou is about 160 rooms and at one point 200+ people had lived here!"

Grade 7 Student

Another student said;

"The Tulou is a amazing structure that we should be proud of as Chinese; our ancestors built this amazing structure out of dirt!"

Grade 7 Student

Day 2 - In the Eyes of a Student

"Today, we went to a tulou. So... Tulou is basically a big house, this house is very different because one Tulou can fit 160 families, so it is very cool! In the middle of the house is a very wide and open area. The Tulou represents the “team” so we are all a team. I hope I have a chance to do this again."

"After the harvest we had a tea challenge where every group needed to complete a new design for tea packaging. The winners prize was a pack of tea. After harvesting tea, we went to another Tulou, where we are actually going to sleep for the next couple of days. I like the view... I think this is going to be a very interesting field trip. Then we had dinner, it was very delicious and to make everything better the food we are being served is local. IT IS DELICIOUS AND I LIKE IT!!! To finish the day, we had an awards ceremony for a game we played. I am looking forward to the next field trip."

Day 2- Fujian

Day 1

The Grade 7's started the day by jumping on a train ride from Shenzhen to Xiamen. They arrived at their destination and were greeted by the camp staff who were all very friendly. They took the group to a Buddhist temple where the Grade 7's shuffled themselves into groups and participated in an interactive scavenger hunt.

Afterwards, the students headed to a vegetarian restaurant to eat and learn more about the Hutong Core Values. After leaving the restaurant, everyone headed back to the hotel for the night to reflect and have a little free time before bed.

First day was a big success and only just a small taste of what is yet to come!